Our roasted Brussels sprouts recipe with garlic and ham is incredibly good! We roast the sprouts until they are crispy, caramelized, and perfectly tender.

The secret to the best Brussels sprouts is to skip the baking sheet and use a cast iron pan instead! A pan lets you start the sprouts on the stovetop to get them beautifully browned and caramelized. Then, you finish them in the oven. This simple cooking method, inspired by Mark Bittman, makes the best Brussels sprouts we’ve ever had!

We also toss in a few garlic cloves and some cubed ham for an extra layer of flavor (bacon works great, too!). The garlic roasts right in the pan, becoming sweet and mellow, while the ham heats through and crisps up. I love this recipe, but for a quicker way to cook Brussels sprouts, see our sautéed Brussels sprouts!

Key Ingredients

• Brussels Sprouts: Look for firm Brussels sprouts with vibrant green, tightly packed leaves. Avoid any with yellowing or wilted leaves. You can use loose sprouts or those still attached to the stalk for this recipe. If you have pre-shredded Brussels sprouts, our sautéed Brussels sprouts is a better fit.
• Oil: Use a high-heat oil like avocado or safflower oil to prevent the oil from smoking at the higher temperatures used in this recipe.
• Garlic: I absolutely love the flavor the garlic adds to this dish! Instead of mincing it, cut each clove in half lengthwise. The garlic will roast in the oven, becoming tender and sweet.
• Ham: The ham is optional but I do love it. I use ham steak and cube it. Bacon is another option. Start with chopped bacon, and cook it in the pan before adding the sprouts to render some fat. Remove the bacon and scatter it back into the pan when the sprouts are almost done. For a meatless dish, simply leave out the ham or bacon.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Just before serving, we’ll scatter a little apple cider vinegar over the Brussels sprouts. This simple ingredient livens them up and makes them taste incredible. I use the same trick for cooked potatoes, like in our recipes for roasted fingerling potatoes or potato salad.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How Make Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Tip 1: Cut them in half. Trim the dry bottom of the Brussels sprout stem. Then, cut the sprout in half lengthwise, creating two flat halves. This cut side is where the magic happens! It will caramelize beautifully and become deliciously crispy during roasting.

Tip 2: Start the sprouts cut-side down. To cook the Brussels sprouts, arrange the halves cut-side down in an oiled cast iron pan over medium heat. Cook, without moving them, until they’re nicely browned underneath. Then, toss in your garlic and ham and season with salt and pepper.

Tip 3: Finish in the oven. After the sprouts are caramelized, you’ll slide the pan into a preheated 400°F oven and roast for 10 to 20 minutes. You want to stir every 5 minutes or so, until the sprouts are caramelized and tender.

Tip 4: Don’t skip the vinegar. For an extra pop of flavor, right after taking the sprouts out of the oven, scatter about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar over them. This simple trick brightens the flavor and makes them unbelievably good.

Serving Suggestions

I love these roasted Brussels sprouts with many of our main dishes, especially this simple roasted chicken, sour cream baked salmon, and our garlic herb roasted turkey breast!

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This Slow Cooker Bean Soup has loads of flavor from ham, spinach, and thyme, and it can be made with cooked dried beans or canned beans. And this kicked-up version of ham and bean soup is nutritious and extra delicious!

PIN Slow Cooker Bean Soup to make it later.

This Slow Cooker Bean Soup has spinach, and adding some leafy greens is one of my favorite tricks for increasing the nutritional value of most any kind of soup. Greens are the the most nutritious foods per calorie of all the world’s healthiest foods, and the flavor of leafy greens goes with so many other foods. And I loved the addition of spinach in this ham and bean soup made in the slow cooker!

The slow cooker soup started with leftover ham from Thanksgiving and dried beans in the pantry. Once I had the idea in mind, all I needed was a package of baby spinach and by the end of the day I had this delicious Slow Cooker Bean Soup that was kicked up in flavor with ham, spinach, and thyme.

I took some of the soup to my brother Mark and his wife Lisa, since they’re the ones who brought the ham for Thanksgiving. A few days later Mark texted me to say the healthy soup was a winner. I hope you’ll try this tasty soup next time you have some leftover ham!

What ingredients do you need for this soup?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient.)

What greens can you use for the Slow Cooker Bean Soup?

If you’re not big on spinach, I think Kale or Swiss Chard would also be delicious in this ham and bean soup.

Want to use dried beans for the Slow Cooker Bean Soup?

If you want to save some money and have plenty of time, here’s How to Cook Dried Beans in a Slow Cooker. There’s also a good post on my Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker site about How to Cook Dried Beans in the Slow Cooker or Instant Pot. You can make extra beans and freeze some for the next time you want to make soup.

What size Slow Cooker did I use?

I made this soup in my 6 quart Ninja Cooker, which isn’t that readily available any more, but any type of Crock-Pot Large Oval Slow Cooker (affiliate link) that’s at least six quarts will be fine.  If you only have a smaller slow cooker, the recipe could certainly be cut in half.

How high in carbs is this slow cooker soup with beans, ham, and spinach?

This soup has 29 net carbs and 34 grams of protein per serving.

Can Slow Cooker Bean Soup be frozen?

This soup freezes well, and you’ll be glad you have some to pull out of the freezer when you get home late on a cold night.

How to Make Slow Cooker Bean Soup (with Ham, Spinach, and Thyme):

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Cooking your own dried beans is the most flavorful option for this type of soup. (I cooked two pounds of beans, then froze half and used half in the soup. Here’s How to Cook Dried Beans in a Slow Cooker if you haven’t done it.
2. If cooking dried beans from scratch doesn’t work for you, no judgement from me. Just use 4 cans of white beans!
3. Put 6 cups of cooked beans (4 cans) into a large slow cooker with 6 cups chicken broth (or use partly ham stock if you have some).
4. I had ham juice from the bottom of the slow cooker we cooked the ham in, but if I’m using chicken broth for soups with ham, I add a little Goya Ham Flavor Concentrate (affiliate link) to flavor the soup.
5. Cook beans, onions, dried thyme, and stock about 2 hours on high.
6. Then add chopped ham and cook about 2 hours more.
7. When the soup has cooked several hours and ingredients are starting to taste good together, chop 5 oz. baby spinach (or other greens) and add to the soup.
8. Cook 30-45 minutes more. (I like the greens fairly well done.)
9. Season Slow Cooker Bean Soup to taste with plenty of fresh-ground black pepper and a little salt if needed. Serve hot and enjoy!

More Tasty Soup with Ham:

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This tasty White Bean Soup with Ham is a classic soup to make on the stove and make your house smell amazing! And this ham and bean soup uses a generous amount of ham and celery, so it’s probably a lot lower in net carbs than you think!

PIN White Bean Soup with Ham to try it later!

White Bean Soup with Ham is the kind of comforting soup I love to make when Utah gets one of those cold snowy days when winter is almost ending. And when it’s cold outside I love to make soup on the stove, simmering it all day and letting the smells fill my house.

Last weekend when I woke up to snow on the ground I decided it was a good day to update this favorite soup recipe with better photos! I bumped up the flavor with fresh parsley and some rosemary, and my version of soup with white beans and ham has a lot of ham and celery to make it a bit lower in carbs than other ham and bean soups!

Of course I don’t even dare hope this is the last snow for this year, but the soup did taste great on a cold spring day. I hope you try it if you’re a fan of these ingredients!

What ingredients do you need? 

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

How to add flavor to ham and bean soup:

When I make bean soup I like to use either homemade ham stock or homemade chicken stock if I have some in the freezer. If not I would add a tablespoon or two of Goya Ham Flavor Concentrate (affiliate link) or Better than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base (affiliate link) to the water. When I’m using ham with a rind, I simmer the rind in the soup for part of the cooking time and then remove it. If you’re sensitive to salt you might want to use low-sodium broth if you use the ham flavor concentrate.

Can you make White Bean Soup with Ham without fresh rosemary?

I’m not such a fan of dried rosemary in soup, because it floats to the top and makes dark flecks on the surface of the soup. But I love a pinch of ground rosemary (affiliate link) when I want some rosemary flavor but don’t have any fresh rosemary.

Is the White Bean Soup with Ham low in carbs?

Of course white beans have some carbs, but this soup has a lot of ham and celery and fewer high-carb ingredients, so the soup has only 16 net carbs per serving and 17 grams of protein.

How to Make White Bean Soup with Ham:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Soak beans 8 hours or overnight, then drain and rinse.
2. Put soaked beans, homemade ham stock, homemade chicken stock, or water, and dried thyme into soup pot and start to simmer.
3. While soup is simmering, dice the ham.  (I like small pieces for meat and vegetables in soup, but you can make them bigger if you prefer.)
4. If your ham has a rind, add it to the simmering soup.
5. Also finely dice carrots, celery, and onion.
6. Add diced ham, carrots, celery, and onions to the soup and simmer at least 30 minutes more.  (Those dark pieces in the photo are the ham rind.)
7. After soup has cooked for one hour taste for seasoning, adding some ham flavor concentrate (affiliate link) or Better than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base (affiliate link) if you want more flavor.
8. Add finely chopped fresh parsley and fresh rosemary (or ground rosemary) to the soup, along with more water if needed.
9. Continue simmering until the soup is flavorful and beans are well-softened. (This can take more than an hour if you’re using old beans that have been sitting in the pantry. If that happens, you may need to add more water a few times.)
10. When beans are soft, remove ham rinds (if using), season soup with fresh ground black pepper, and serve hot.
11. White Bean Soup with Ham freezes well and it’s great to pull out of the freezer and enjoy on a cold winter night without having to cook!

Make it a complete meal:

You could eat this ham and bean soup for a one dish meal, but if you’d like to add something more here are some things that would taste great with the soup:

Wamt more recipes with White Beans?

You can check out the index for Beans and Legumes if you want to see all my recipes using white beans!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This White Bean Soup with Ham has a lot of ham and celery for only 16 net carbs per serving, which might work for some people who are limiting carbs. The soup would be a great choice for the original South Beach Diet if you use lean ham or turkey ham. If you want to make it for phase one of South Beach, leave out the carrots and remember that dried beans should be eaten in small amounts for phase one. 

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This white bean soup recipe with ham, vegetables, and fresh herbs was first posted in 2011. It was last updated with more information in 2025.

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This ham and cabbage soup recipe is hearty, healthy, and tastes incredible! This easy soup is ready in about 30 minutes.

Cabbage soup may not sound like the most exciting meal, but trust me, this version with ham, carrots, and onions is delicious! Much like many of our cabbage recipes, this soup is nutritious, low-calorie, and tastes fantastic!

Since cabbage shrinks and softens when cooked, you can add a lot to the pot. In this ham and cabbage soup, we call for eight cups of chopped cabbage, and you could probably stir in quite a bit more. It’s so good! For another soup, try this cabbage soup, or for another recipe with ham, try our easy split pea soup.

Key Ingredients

• Ham: I use a boneless ham steak for this soup. If you have bone-in ham, use it! Just cut it away from the bone, then add the bone to the soup as it simmers (it should add a bit more flavor). Remove it before serving.
• Cabbage: Use regular white cabbage for this soup. I like how it softens as it simmers. If you have leftover cabbage, consider using it in one of our other cabbage recipes!
• Veggies: In addition to the cabbage, we saute onion, carrots, garlic, and rosemary before adding broth to this soup. They create a flavorful base. Fresh or dried rosemary will work. I’ve given amounts for both in the recipe below.
• Tomatoes: I add a small can of tomatoes to the soup, but fresh tomatoes work fine. See the tip below the recipe for substituting fresh tomatoes.
• Broth: Any light broth or stock works in this cabbage soup recipe. My go-to’s are chicken stock, chicken broth, ham stock, and vegetable broth.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Ham and Cabbage Soup

Tip 1: Make the soup in one pot. To make this soup, you’ll cook the onion, carrots, and ham in a big pot and then add the rest of the ingredients. It comes together quickly and only needs to simmer for about 20 minutes before you can dig in.

Tip 2: Add ham for extra flavor. As the soup simmers, the ham flavors and seasons the broth. The soup becomes rich, hearty, and ultra-flavorful. If you don’t have any ham on hand or do not eat meat, you can leave the ham out. It will still be terrific.

Tip 3: Use lots of cabbage. Since cabbage shrinks and softens when it’s cooked, you can add lots of it to the pot. We add eight cups of chopped cabbage to this easy cabbage soup, and to be honest, you could probably stir in quite a bit more.

More Soup Recipes

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